Hinata's heels clicked across the polished floor, a step behind the director. He looked around the ballroom. Guests would be arriving soon, and everything was in place.

Hinata was up all night trying to get a hold of her sister, but no calls went through. None of her messages on any platform were returned. It was lucky she was up, though, as marketing contacted her to tell her there was an issue with one of Sasuke's team members, and she needed to select a new one at the last minute. She had an early appointment to have her hair and makeup done before the event, and then she was due to double-check preparations. They were missing a table, but they quickly found a suitable replacement.

As people came in, Hinata checked the binder of names and pictures she needed to relay to the director. She poured over it in spare moments, worried about having to reference it.

Fugaku made small demands as they moved around, and she relayed the changes as she went. His demands were small. What would she have done if he disliked it?

"What did you get Sasuke from me?" Fugaku suddenly asked.

Hinata pressed her lips together. "A cashmere scarf and a pair of leather gloves."

Fugaku's face twisted in question.

"He's receiving a coat from Itachi. It seemed like a nice complement to make a full family gift to keep him warm." Hinata answered.

Satisfied, Fugaku turned course. A wave of dizziness hit her, and she stumbled. She shook her head and blinked her eyes, taking a couple of deep breaths. She should try to eat something before the event.


Hinata managed without the list, but she still hid them behind a fake title page on a clipboard. Fugaku signaled for her to whisper the next couple's names to him. He put on his happy political face and welcomed them, but she could tell that the day was getting the better of him.

Hinata was glad everything was going well, but she felt more tired than expected. No more dizzy spells since she ate, but she was feeling warm despite the cold air occasionally coming in from the open doors to the back gardens.

They were still missing the guest of honor, and it was starting to get on the director's nerves. She rechecked her phone, but there were no updates from the driver, as Sasuke requested a rental car, which he already picked up.

"He'll be late. He's always fashionably late." Hinata flinched. Itachi already smelled like alcohol.

Hinata glanced over to the director. He was locked in a conversation. "To his own party?"

"To his own funeral." Itachi teased.

"I hope that is not foreshadowing." Hinata frowned at her own words.

Itachi chuckled. His sarcasm was rubbing off on her.

Fugaku noticed his son and frowned.

Itachi took the opportunity to look down at her and say. "I'm going to get you away for a dance before the end of the night." Itachi tipped back his glass, disappearing before she could tell him that she couldn't.


Sasuke folded his arms, looking into the ballroom from the hallway. He came in through the back entrance and parked himself in the garage. He found his father through the swarms of people, but he had no motivation to go over to him.

"You know this is your party. You are welcome." Sasuke scrunched his nose. Caught. Itachi grinned behind him.

"Is mom here?" Sasuke looked for her through the crowd.

"I haven't seen her, but she was invited," Itachi settle his hand in his pocket, swirling a flute of champagne in the other.

Sasuke groaned. "Wonderful."

Itachi smiled. "Well, come on, you can't hide here forever. Where is Naruto?"

"Food." Sasuke huffed.

"I want you to meet Hinata." Itachi nodded his head in.

"Dad's assistant?" Sasuke recognized the name from her email signature.

"She's cute, and she never leaves his side. You might as well meet her." Itachi tugged him in.

"Ugh." Sasuke groaned.

Itachi dragged him over to their father. "Look who I found."

Fugaku turned first. He put on a scowl. "You're late."

"Did the rental car give you trouble?" The girl asked as she turned.

She was his height in heels.

"You're still looking at your phone." Sasuke nodded to her phone on her clipboard.

Hinata smiled, realizing as he had. "It's my job."

"I thought you said you hadn't met," Fugaku said, confused.

"We ran into each other in the lobby," Hinata explained.

"Literally," Sasuke added.

"I'm sorry I didn't have time to introduce myself." Hinata bowed her head slightly. "Hinata Hyuga."

Sasuke nodded his head, accepting the apology.

"See, she's cute, right?" Itachi chimed in.

Hinata's face bloomed red. "You have drunk too much already." She accused him, reaching for his glass, but Itachi held it away with a grin. Fugaku rolled his eyes. Hinata turned back to work, occasionally typing something on her phone.

"You do reek of alcohol," Sasuke grumbled to his brother.

"You haven't seen mom in a year. She's called me every day asking what you were up to since you landed." Itachi took a sip. "I'm looking forward to seeing her just as much as you are."

"Great." Sasuke sighed.


Hinata was used to being in high-fashion heels at this point, but standing in the same spot for an hour after walking around in them all day made her feet numb. On top of that, another dizzy spell hit her just as they called for dinner. She couldn't be happier just to sit and sip water for a moment.

There were congratulations. Fugaku got up to say a few words she already knew. She proofread his speech and wrote half of it. Short, to the point, welcoming his son back, congratulating him on finishing his master's, and announcing his position in the company.

Hinata sat to the director's left, Sasuke to his right, and Itachi to her left. Kisame was supposed to sit in the empty seat next to Itachi but found friends at another table. He wasn't working tonight. She was.

Fugaku was given applause as he sat down.

Just as dinner was served, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Hinata turned to see who had touched her and stared at the woman she only recognized from the pictures of faces.

The director's ex-wife.

"I think you are in my seat, dear." Mikoto said.

Hinata opened her mouth. Mikoto wasn't meant to sit at this table. She never RSVPed, so she was assigned to a table with other Uchiha family members across the room.

"Get up, please," Mikoto said with the same tone but more impatience.

Hinata obeyed, starting to stand. Itachi caught her arm, but she didn't dare look back at him. "Excuse me." Hinata tried to pull her arm away, but he kept hold of it.

"You didn't tell us you were coming. This isn't your table, mother." Itachi eyed his mother, and Hinata lowered hers. Mikoto's smile was unnerving.

"Why wouldn't I sit with my boys? If she moves, there are two open spots." Mikoto was right. Hinata knew from the book of faces that the man with her was her husband.

"Don't make a scene, Mikoto," Fugaku said bluntly.

"Then she should leave," Mikoto responded.

Hinata didn't like being in the middle of this. She grabbed her glass and purse, pulling her arm out of Itachi's hand as she stood up. She felt a wave of nausea and dizziness hit her as she bowed her head and moved to the side. She discreetly put her knuckles to her lips to make the feeling disappear.

Fugaku shifted his eyes down as she set herself into action to fix the situation. Hinata moved over to Lee at the nearest table, who was all too happy when he tapped him on the shoulder. "I need to sit here to be close to the director. Can you move to the table over there?" She pointed.

Lee got up. Hinata asked the waiters to correct the orders for the new seating arrangement and sat down with her meal, only to realize her mistake. She dug in her purse, got back up, and moved back to the director's side.

Fugaku looked up to her, despite his ex-wife not pausing her sentence. Hinata leaned down to whisper about his pills. He nodded. She put two pills discreetly on his napkin.

Fugaku made no attempt to hide them as he knocked them back.

"You're on medication, Fugaku?" Mikoto sang.

"Comes with age." Fugaku fired back. "You should know that. You are certainly looking yours."

Mikoto ignored the jab. "I didn't get your name, dear."

Hinata took a moment to register that she was the one spoken to. "Hinata Hyuga, director assistant, ma'am."

"Hyuga?" Mikoto's eyes drifted up to her ex-husband.

The silence, while the director chewed, was a lifetime.

"Hiashi's daughter," Fugaku confirmed.

"Hiashi." Mikoto hummed. "I didn't think you'd ever forgiven him."

"I haven't." Fugaku snapped.

Itachi g flicked his eyes at the other table, telling her to leave while she got the chance. She bowed her head, moving back to her new spot.


Itachi took another swig of his glass of wine as their mother started in on the new topic of the assistant. Sasuke considered doing the same, but he thought better of it.

"Fugaku, how long have you had this assistant?" Mikoto continued.

Itachi glowered at his mother, but they both knew better. Nothing he said was going to stop her.

"A few months now," Fugaku answered while he ate.

"Really? You usually go through them so quickly." Mikoto cooed.

"She does a good job," Fugaku said flatly.

"Odd for a child of a worthless con of a businessman." She was trying to start a fight, wasn't she?

"Mother." Itachi snapped.

"What?" Mikoto hummed. "Hiashi Hyuga got your father in a lot of trouble. I'm surprised he would hire her for the mailroom, let alone his personal assistant."

Fugaku set his jaw. Hinata stopped eating at her table to listen. She didn't look over at them, but her lips pressed together as she stared at her plate. His mother had that effect on people. Sasuke looked to Itachi for answers, but this looked like news to him too.

Mikoto clicked her tongue. "And, of course, her mother never amounted to anything. All that talk about wanting to be a doctor, but of course, she waited for her husband to scrounge back up his business, she got pregnant, and poof went that dream."

"Mikoto, enough," Fugaku announced in a low, threatening tone. The table grew cold as they all knew she crossed a line for him.

Mikoto, as usual, brushed it off and started to chatter about a trip she took.

Sasuke blocked out his mother's new chatter. Itachi pensively stared over at Hinata. There was a lot of buzz around her.

Once the meal was over, the music got louder, and people got up around them. However, no one wanted anywhere near their table. He glanced over at his parents. Neither did he.

Itachi clapped his hands together. "I am going to steal that dance." Itachi pulled Hinata up. There was a quick back and forth with her shaking her head, but he managed to tug her by the hand toward the dance floor. She frantically looked around and ordered someone called Lee to take her place as he dragged her away.

"Oh, I see why she's stuck around for so long," Mikoto commented.

The man in the loud suit greeted his father with a "Sir!" before sitting back in her seat.

Sasuke watched his brother take the assistant out of the dance floor. He got up to find Naruto before his mother started in on him.


Hinata glanced around Itachi as he put himself in her view of his father again and again, earning another half-hearted glare.

"He'll be fine," Itachi told her.

"He doesn't like being alone with her," Hinata looked around him the other way.

"How would you know that?" Itachi asked.

"He's a talkative drunk," Hinata leaned over to the waiter. "The director is allowed no more champagne." The waiter gave her a confused nod.

"Hinata. He was married to her for years. He can sit with her." Itachi turned her again. "What was that about your father and mine?"

Hinata stopped trying to see around him. "Uh…"

"Is that why he was torturing you?" Itachi pressed.

Hinata shook her head. "Our fathers were in business once. It didn't end well. I guess the director thought my father sent me to sabotage him, but my father didn't even know I was working here."

"That's why he was so upset." Itachi pierced his lips together. "So, dad was getting back at you for what your father did?" Hinata nodded. "Bastard," Itachi started to pull away from her, but she held him firm.

"We have already talked about it, don't make him relive his mistakes," Hinata warned him.

Itachi relented.

A staff member approached Hinata to whisper in her ear. Hinata nodded at him. "I have something I need to handle."

Itachi nodded, letting her go, and it may have just been his drunk imagination, but she looked like she stumbled.

Itachi shook it off. Hinata could take care of herself.